Vence and Arriving in Cinque Terra

Again a bridge oriented trip. I will be starting with 3 nights in Vence (just above Nice). 7 nights in Cinque Terra, 11 days at a bridge tournament in Salsomaggiore in Italy then 3 days footloose and fancy free before returning home for just nine days before returning to Europe for another bridge tournament.

Anyway…All checked in – smooth as one could imagine, off to the lounge for an hour then boarding. The inflight system could do with some updating with e-magazines only from 2011.The flight was comfortable (330-300) although the seating on the side is 2-1-2-1 all the way along and the centre was 2-2-2-2 all the way along. This meant that if you had a single seat you had a lot of space around you to spread out and store your belongings - same with window seats who had storage areas along the fuselage – aisle seats on the side no such luck. Anyway a six hour layover in Kuala Lumpur followed which wasn’t too bad as the lounge was very hospitable.

The second leg of a A380 to London was more enjoyable as Business Class was less than 50% full. Food and service was excellent but between the two flights I only managed about six hours sleep. After changing terminals six more hours in London. I elected to have a shower in the London lounge and it always amazes me just how human one can feel after a shower compared to before.  After the short hop to Nice I picked up the car from Avis but seeing how large it was (Citroen 5) I opted for a smaller (haha) Citroen Picasso which trust me isn’t that small. As I left the airport I had serious thoughts of opting for a much smaller car, but anyway.

I head for Vence another beautiful Medieval town just 15 minutes above Nice. I had some problems finding my AirBnb apartment, not helped by the fact that the owner spoke NO English. Having taken a turn into a street, well just let me say you all know what a 3 point turn is – how about a 23 point turn to retreat in defeat after reaching a point beyond which I couldn’t continue. Anyway after realising that one has to use parking stations in Vence, I found the apartment which exceeded all my expectations, spacious 60 sq mtrs as well as tastefully appointed in an Ikea sort of way, it would serve my purpose perfectly.

Another shower – don’t know why and I go out for a one hour walk around the old town. Good pick David, this is an amazingly charming old town with lots of nooks and crannies to explore and here I am staying in the centre of it in what is probably a 300 year old building – love it.

I manage 7 hours sleep till I wake at 04:00, lay awake for some time and then manage just one more hour before getting up, doing some “administration” and heading out. The compulsory chocolate croissant and coffee and then 5kms to St Paul de Vence - certainly one of my favourite places in the world - check it out http://tinyurl.com/gldujsk. It’s a small village on a hill top with undulating winding cobblestone passages lined by the most interesting art galleries and other eclectic shops. I was on a bit of a mission here. Last time I was here I went to a shop where I had previously purchased a crystal piece and resisted buying another one only to regret it for the rest of my trip – all solved now. But there is Karma – last time the father wouldn’t give me any discount, the daughter this time offered a generous 21% discount so DEFINITELY all solved.

Back to Vence which is not a great idea because of parking – the spaces are narrow, the turns from floor to floor almost impossible to manage – grrr. Mercifully I find a two hour space and take the opportunity to buys some groceries and have a Non Kosher Meat, tomato and cheese baguette.

In the afternoon I head to Tourettes Sur Loup, yet another lovely village built around the major square with the nearby very old church. It might sound as though I am being facetious but really I am not. Each town is built to a formula but has its own charm. In T sur L they were playing Boules and Platanque in the main square with a large number of spectators. There was an amazing shop with handmade wooden items and if it wasn’t for the schlepping and customs (well that and the fact that I am decluttering) I would have been seriously interested in two of the pieces.

Back to Vence where I made a soup and salad dinner and went to bed quite early – bad idea – after which I woke at 05:00, Around 09:00 I left and walked the 2,5kms to what is commonly known as the Matisse Church of Vence but more formally Chapelle du Rosaire, a church adjoining and run by the Dominican Sisters (well after my choc croissant). I went to a Matisse exhibition and MOMA New York and while it was good I can’t say he is my favourite artist, well until I saw this church – check it out here http://tinyurl.com/hsghqwb. I really enjoyed it and the integration of art into the Church works sooooo well.

I basically wandered around Vence for a few hours, went back to the apartment and around 15:00 I drove towards Nice planning to wander around Nice and then have dinner with a friend at 20:00, Now one needs to know that Nice is not my favourite place in this region and based on that I decided to drive the extra 30kms to Monte Carlo where I wandered around and played at the American Casino (the French one requires a Passport to gain entry) where I had a small win and a very relaxing hour. Back to Nice and the restaurant which was well appointed and played to my tastes with a €55 (less 20% to €44 because I booked through TripAdvisor) Grand Truffle Menu. But I would have to say they missed. All of the dishes had shaved truffle on them but none of them had the truffle flavour infused into the dish proper. It wasn’t bad but I think they could have easily done better – disappointed. Anyway good to catch up with a friend who works with a development company so I learned a lot about what is happening in the market – Russians and finished and Scandinavians are in with one block of 12 being individually sold to Norwegians. Prices for new apartments are around $A11k per square metre – almost think same prices as Sydney.

Back to Vence where I take the opportunity to do a load of washing before going to bed. Next morning up, packed, dressed and at the car at 08:00 for the four, no six no four no six hour drive to Cinque Terra. So my phone said four hours while the car GPS said six hours. I trusted my phone more but after driving through all the back streets of Genoa I realised that the car GPS was set to avoid toll roads. While I knew enough about the route to take toll roads up to Genoa it still took me five hours – make that five and a half hour when I took a wrong turn and ended up going the wrong way on the freeway and when I finally got off, remember set to avoid tolls it took me down to sea, along the seafront to a point where the road was blocked and I had to head all the way up to the freeway….. 40 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.

I was warned about the road down to Monterosso, the only town in Cinque Terra where one can drive into and while it was a difficult navigation I have had plenty worse in Europe. Managed to reach the Hotel which was something like a Villa converted into hotel rooms – usual Europe small but very well appointed. Pool and nice views down to the Mare it felt good to be here. After I unpacked I headed for the 10 minute downhill stairway walk to the sea where the beaches (don’t for a moment think Bondi) were crowded with holiday makers seemingly having loads of fun.

I sit and relax finally succumbing to a Prix Fix dinner of lasagne and salad before heading back to the hotel for a relatively early night. The older I get the bigger the toll that driving takes out of me.

Anyway you are all up to date.

Best to All

David